Gadzhimurad Antigulov wasn't looking for a submission at UFC 211, but happy to take one

Gadzhimurad Antigulov got the first win for American Top Team at UFC 211 on Saturday. However, his prediction for a perfect night for the Florida-based fight gym did not come to fruition.

Antigulov (20-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was the first of eight ATT fighters to compete at UFC 211, which took place at American Airlines Center in Dallas with the main card on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass. He earned a first-round submission of Joachim Christensen (14-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in the light heavyweight bout, giving him his 14th consecutive victory.

“I think it’s a good sign for American Top Team that I started with a victory, I hope this means all of the rest of us will get a win as well,” Antigulov told reporters through an interpreter immediately following his victory.

Antigulov’s prediction did not come to pass. His teammate Jessica Aguilar lost a unanimous decision to Cortney Casey just two fights after, spoiling the opportunity for an 8-0 night for ATT.

Nevertheless, Antigulov was still triumphant in his own fight, and he made it look easy. He quickly grounded Christensen and finished with a rear-naked choke, giving him his second-straight UFC victory by submission with both coming in a total of three minutes and 28 seconds of fight time.

Antigulov said it wasn’t his plan to submit his opponent, but that’s the opening he saw and was able to take advantage.

“I’ll be honest with you I never had a plan,” Antigulov said. “I wasn’t looking in this fight to choke him out or get a submission. … When I stepped in the octagon I just faced the guy, started exchanging with him, took him down and I see he did a mistake. I took his back and I finished him.”

Despite lots of momentum on his side and a wide-open landscape in a top-heavy 205-pound division, Antigulov did not give specific plans about what he would like to do next. He deferred to the UFC and his team to make those decisions.

“Whatever the UFC, American Top Team and my management thinks should be next, is what I will do next,” Antigulov said.

For complete coverage of UFC 211, check out the UFC Events section of the site.